Herbert Spencer

Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820-8 December 1903) was an English classical liberal philosopher who invented the concept of Social Darwinism, a social and economic application of the Darwinian idea of "survival of the fittest" (natural selection) over time.

Biography
Herbert Spencer was born in Derby, Derbyshire, England in 1820, and he worked as a biologist and anthropologist before delving into the field of sociology. He coined the term "survival of the fittest", having been inspired by Charles Darwin's idea of natural selection, although he applied it to society, arguing that the most intelligent, ambitious, and productive people would inevitably win out in the case of a competition between humans. Spencer supported a free market economy without government interference, argued that welfare and the redistribution of wealth dragged society down by elevating its weakest and least worthy members, and scientifically justified big business remaining free of government regulation or social conscience. Spencer's social gospel inspired John D. Rockefeller to preach these views at Sunday school, but others objected to the idea of self-interest, and it fell out of favor among social scientists. The heartless idea was seen as having little compassion, and it would only favor the rich and powerful, but not society as a whole.